\X 



ROLAND '^ GENTLEHEART 



BARBARA YECHTON X^ 

AUTHOR OF "CHRISTINE'S INSPIRATION," "LITTLE SAINT \ 

HILARY," " INGLESIDE," EJC. 



NEW YORK ^^^y^. } 

JAMES POTT & COMPANY ' // 7 ? ^ V 
114 Fifth Avenue * / sx 

1893 



^^ 



V 






Copyright, 1893, by 
JAMES POTT & COMPANY 



TROW DIRECTORY 

PRINTING AND BOOKDINDINQ COMPANY 

NEW YORK 



s 



AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 

TO 

THE BRAVE LITTLE KNIGHT 

DOUGLAS ROSEBERRY HOBART 



ROLAND '' GENTLEHEART. 



Roland Ledgerwood's father was 
an artist, and Roland was his only 
child. They lived on the top floor of a 
building on Washington Square, and 
nurse Ann kept house for them, for Ro- 
land had no mamma. After a long ill- 
ness she had been laid to rest in a qui- 
et little church-yard in sunny France, 
when Roland was barely five years 
old; and after that the litde boy and 
his papa and nurse had moved about 
from place to place so frequently, and 
there had been so many strange 
things to see and hear, that Roland 
might have forgotten his mamma, 
had it not been for the picture of her 



Roland " Gentleheart,' 



which his papa had painted, and 
which went with them everywhere, 
and for the deeply interesting stories 
about her that nurse used to tell him. 
Nurse Ann had been with Roland's 
mamma's family before she married 
his papa ; and when Mr. Ledgerwood 
wrote to tell her about her young 
mistress's illness, she willingly went 
all the way from America to France 
to be with her to the end, and then 
stayed on to take care of Roland. 
She was tall and thin ; some people 
considered her ugly, and Roland 
sometimes thought her cross ; but she 
was really very devoted to the little 
fellow, and he loved her dearly. The 
old nurse was not fond of what she 
called '* furrin' parts," and glad 
enough was she when Mr. Ledger- 
wood announced his intention of re- 
turning to America, and still more 



Roland " Gentleheart, 



pleased when they were comfortably 
settled in the apartments in Wash- 
ington Square. 

Roland liked it, too. He was a big 
boy now ; nine years old — " going 
on ten ; " straight as an arrow and 
well grown for his age, with very 
beautiful soft, dark eyes, and short, 
reddish brown hair that curled all 
over his head. These, with the 
kindly expression of his mouth and 
the fine healthy color in his cheeks, 
made Roland a very pretty boy, and 
the wide embroidered turned - over 
collars and cuffs which his papa liked 
him to wear gave the little fellow a 
very picturesque appearance. 

Roland and his papa were great 
friends ; they took walks together, 
and had long talks about all sorts of 
things; and when Mr. Ledgerwood 
could spare time to read to his little 



8 Roland " Gentleheart," 

son, or tell him stories of when he 
and uncle Brian were boys together 
at home and school and college, Ro- 
land's happiness was complete. Uncle 
Brian was papa's only brother and 
Roland's hero. Though the litde 
boy had never met his uncle, he knew 
that Colonel Ledgerwood was big and 
strong and very brave ; that though 
he was a strict disciplinarian, all the 
men in his regiment loved him dearly 
and would do anything for him. Ro- 
land knew, too, why it was that his 
papa called uncle Brian, '' Gentle- 
heart." " Brian is the bravest and 
gentlest man I have ever known," 
Mr. Ledgerwood would say. '' You 
look like him, Roland ; I only hope 
you may grow up to be just such a 
man as he is. He has a quick tem- 
per, too, but he keeps it well under 
control." Then Roland would o-et 

o 



Roland " Gentleheart ." 



red and hang his head, for his quick 
temper was this little boy's chief 
fault. 

'' I do wish I knew how uncle Brian 
manages to keep from getting angry," 
he said very earnestly to nurse, one 
day. In a burst of rage that morn- 
ing he had torn his pretty litde 
sketch - book into shreds, and had 
been so rude to nurse that papa had 
been obliged to punish him, after 
making him apologize to nurse, who 
was only too willing to forgive her 
boy. 

'' The reason's plain when once 
you know Mr. Brian — begging his 
pardon — the colonel. It's beca'se 
he knows where to go for stringth." 
Then she added hastily, as Roland's 
lips parted for a question : '' No, I 
can't tell you 'bout it, child, I don't 
know how. Ask your uncle when he 



lo Roland " Gentleheart ," 

comes — you know he'll be here in a 
short while now." 

And papa had said the same thing : 
*' Ask your uncle Brian about it. He 
can explain all that better than I can." 
So Roland waited anxiously for his 
uncle's arrival, and in the meantime 
he made up his mind that he would 
try very hard to be more like un- 
cle Brian, and more patient and gen- 
tle ; he didnt want his hero to hear 
a bad account of him. 

Not every day, however, could Mr. 
Ledgerwood devote himself to his lit- 
tle son. There were days and days 
together when he remained in his 
studio, painting steadily from early 
morn until the afternoon shadows be- 
gan to fall. Sometimes Roland was 
his model, standing or sitting or lying 
very patiently in one position while 
his father painted as fast as he could. 



Roland ' ' Gentleheart ," ii 

with tight-set lips and brows drawn 
into a deep furrow between his eyes. 
Mr. Ledgerwood did not like him to 
talk at such times, and Roland used 
to get very tired of being so still and 
silent ; but all the fatigue and tire- 
someness were forgotten as soon as 
they were over, and his father kissed 
and praised him for being such a 
splendid model. 

And when Mr. Ledgerwood's pic- 
ture, ** Sir Galahad," was accepted at 
the Academy, and everybody spoke 
so highly of it, the little boy's heart 
used to swell with pride to hear his 
father tell people: '' That is Roland's 
picture, as well as mine. I never 
could have painted it without his 
help." 

Mr. Ledgerwood had told his little 
son the story of King Arthur's young 
knight — how he had been chosen to 



/ 2 Roland ' ' Gentleheart . ' ' 

find the Holy Grail because of his 
holiness and purity and gentleness. 
And, though Roland did not know it, 
the expression which made Sir Gala- 
had's face so beautiful in the picture 
had been on his own childish counte- 
nance as, while posing in the en- 
forced quiet of the studio, he had re- 
peated over and over to himself the 
lines which were to go with the draw- 
ing : 

" My strength is as the strength often, 
Because my heart is pure." 

The little boy pictured in his vivid, 
childish imagination all that his father 
had told him about the brave young 
knight's riding away on his milk- 
white steed from the court of the 
famous king — the ** court" in Ro- 
land's mind being an amphitheatre — 
very like the interior of the Madison 



Roland ' ' Gentleheart ." / ^ 

Square Garden, where he had once 
been — in the open air, filled with fair 
ladies and brave knights in gay attire 
and shining armor, like the colored 
plates in his father's quaint old copy 
of '* Ye knightes of Kinge Arthvr's 
Rovnde Table." How he would have 
enjoyed being a knight ! thought Ro- 
land, and riding off that way. He 
would have been as brave as Sir 
Galahad, and he would have tried to 
be as good — of course, then there 
wouldn't have been so many dis- 
agreeable things happening all the 
time to try his temper. And how 
bravely he would have protected all 
the distressed princesses and damsels 
that he met ! The little fellow's chiv- 
alrous heart throbbed quicker, his 
eyes lighted up. Just then his father 
looked up, caught the exalted expres- 
sion on the child's face, and, working 



14 Roland " Gentleheart," 

desperately, transferred it to his can- 
vas. 

On the mornings that Roland was 
not needed in the studio he went 
down to the next floor and ''said" 
his lessons with Freddie Hibbard, to 
a young gentleman who came every 
day to teach the two little boys. 
Freddie was about Roland's age, but 
Roland was not very fond of him — in 
fact, he thought Freddie a very rude 
boy to make the horrible faces at 
him that he did on every possible 
occasion, without the slightest provo- 
cation, and he often wondered what 
his papa and nurse Ann would say 
if they could hear the way Freddie 
spoke to his big sister Madeleine. 

Madeleine was about fourteen ; a 
tall, fair girl, with soft blue eyes and 
yellow wavy hair that hung about 
her shoulders ; Roland thought she 



Roland '' Gentleheart ," 75 

looked like the pictures of the beau- 
tiful golden-haired ''princesses and 
damsels " in his favorite story-books, 
and became very devoted to her. 
Though as fond of exercise as any 
healthy boy, he would give up a 
game in the park any afternoon to 
sit in the big chair near the window 
with Madeleine, and hear her read 
aloud some story that they both 
liked. More than once, too, his lim- 
ited amount of pocket - money went 
for stiff little bouquets, made up of 
wired roses surrounded by a fringe 
of coarse ferns, which he presented 
to her with a shy grace that Made- 
leine thought '' perfectly beautiful," 
and for which she always gave him 
a kiss. 

Madeleine knew all about Roland's 
deep admiration for his uncle, and 
how anxiously he looked forward to 



1 6 Roland '' Gentleheart." 

meeting his hero ; so she rejoiced 
with him with all the warmth that 
could be desired when the little boy- 
whispered eagerly one morning, at 
the school - room door, that uncle 
Brian was expected that afternoon. 

Freddie made himself particularly- 
disagreeable that morning — kicking 
Roland's shins under the table, mak- 
ing hideous faces, and firing tiny pa- 
per balls at him whenever Mr. John- 
ston's eyes were turned the other 
way ; and had it not been that Ro- 
land was too happy over his good 
news to quarrel, there would have 
been an outburst of anger from the 
quick-tempered Httle boy. As it was, 
between his excitement and the irri- 
tation caused by Freddie's intermit- 
tent attentions, Roland stumbled over 
his lessons in a fashion very unusual 
to him, and which called forth a re- 



Roland *' Gentleheart," ij 

proof from his teacher. Roland was 
very sorry to have this happen to- 
day; he would so much have liked 
a good record '' all round" for uncle 
Brian's benefit. Still, he thought to 
himself, as an offset to that, he was 
glad he hadn't got angry with Fred- 
die when he teased so ; he fancied 
that uncle Brian wouldn't have got 
angry ; perhaps he — Roland — might 
yet be as gentle as his soldier uncle. 
Papa said the bravest men were 
always the gentlest ; then Freddie 
couldn't be brave, for he certainly 
wasn't gentle ; he teased and bullied 
his sister, and his playmates in the 
park. Roland had heard that he tor- 
mented the '' little boys " — all those 
who were younger than nine, " going 
on ten " — until they sometimes cried. 
That was Freddie's way of having 
fun, but then he had no splendid 



1 8 Roland " Gentleheart .*' 

artist father, and his papa was away 
most of the time, and no soldier uncle 
— he was really to be pitied, poor 
Freddie ! 

Whistling merrily, Roland bounded 
lightly up the steps to his own rooms, 
to be met at the door by nurse, who 
was evidently in a state of subdued 
excitement. '' I was just comin' to 
fetch you," she informed him at once. 
*' Your uncle Brian is here, an' as 
soon as you've put on your velvet 
suit an' best collar, an' had your face 
an' hands washed, an' your hair 
brushed, an' a clean handkercher' in 
your pocket, you're to go in an' be 
interjuced." 

*' Oh, I'm good enough, I'll go in 
just as I am," said Roland, eagerly. 
Besides being anxious to see uncle 
Brian, he knew by experience what 
a severe ordeal dressing for such a 



Roland " Gentleheart ." ig 

state occasion would be under nurse 
Ann's supervision. '' He's my own 
uncle, you know. I don't see why I 
should dress up for him, and anyway 
he'll see me in these clothes to-mor- 
row." 

''That's a very different thing," 
replied nurse, with an air of having 
settled the matter that provoked Ro- 
land. He was tempted to slip by 
her and make his way to the studio 
just as he was, but nurse's position 
in the narrow hall was very much 
against the successful carrying out of 
such a project ; besides, Roland knew 
that his papa would be seriously an- 
noyed by any such behavior, particu- 
larly before uncle Brian. There was 
nothing but to submit. '' I suppose 
I'll have to do it," he said, impatient- 
ly. '' Such nonsense ! to be dressed 
up in my best clothes for my own 



20 Roland " Gentleheart ." 

uncle, when I'm going to see him 
every day now ! " 

Without a moment's loss of time 
nurse bore him off to his own apart- 
ment and began operations. She 
washed his face and ears with a great 
deal more vigor than Roland thought 
at all necessary, considering it had 
all been done already that morning; 
brushed his hair hard, adjusted his 
collar (he was thankful his cuffs were 
sewed in the sleeves of his velvet 
coat) in her usual emphatic manner, 
then gave him a sounding kiss on the 
cheeks still shining from the liberal 
use of soap, and pushed him into the 
hall with the parting admonition: 
" Now go in, an' behave like a little 
gentleman." 

With a fast-beating heart Roland 
knocked at the studio door, and at 
his father's word pushed aside the 



Roland ' ' Gentleheart ,'* 21 



heavy portiere and entered the room. 
What he saw was a big man sitting 
in a big chair by the window — a man 
who was dressed in citizen's clothes ; 
had gray hair and a gray beard and 
was quite bald ! Could this be un- 
cle Brian ? Roland was so disap- 
pointed that a great lump came into 
his throat, which he had hard work 
to swallow down. He had been told 
that uncle Brian was handsome, he 
knew he was good, and unconsciously 
the little boy had come to imagine 
him a grand-looking personage — per- 
haps like some great knight of old, 
only with a dazzling modern uniform, 
and, above all things, a sword, and 
here he was dressed like any ordi- 
nary person — and bald ! 

What uncle Brian saw was a 
straight litde figure in a picturesque 
velvet suit, and a lovely childish face 



22 Roland " Gentleheart /' 

whose first expression of shy deHght 
changed to keen disappointment as 
the dark eyes met his own. '' Is this 
your boy, Aleck ? " he asked, hold- 
ing out his hand to the child. *' I 
hope we're going to be great friends, 
Roland." Even in his confusion Ro- 
land noticed in what a kind voice the 
big man spoke, and the next moment 
he was on his uncle's knee, his face 
buried in his shoulder. 

But notwithstanding Roland's dis- 
appointment, he and uncle Brian be- 
came good friends, and in a few days 
the real uncle Brian held a higher 
place in his little nephew's affections 
than had the ideal hero of old. They 
went for walks together when papa 
was too busy to leave his painting, 
and uncle Brian told stories of his 
soldier life amone the Indians that 
fairly thrilled Roland, and yet the big 



Roland " Gentleheart.'' 



soldier was so sympathetic and gen- 
tle that Roland even confided to him 
the way Freddie teased him, and 
how hard it was for him to keep his 
temper when things did not go as he 
wanted them. And then one day 
when they were on this subject uncle 
Brian said: ''Roland, I wonder if 
you have ever heard of the very 
greatest Knight the world has ever 
known." 

'* Oh, I know of a lot of them," an- 
swered Roland, eagerly — he did so 
love to talk about those old warriors. 
*' King Arthur, and Sir Galahad, 
and Richard ' Lion-heart ' and God- 
frey of Boulogne, oh, and there's 
' Saint ' Louis of France — he's my 
favorite of all." 

'' And do you know who was their 
Pattern — the Knight they followed ? " 

Roland looked surprised — '' I don't 



24 Roland " Gentleheart,^' 

know," he said, after a little thought, 
** do you ? " 

'' Yes," said uncle Brian, and there 
was a sweet earnestness in his voice 
that impressed the little boy: "the 
highest pattern of knighthood that 
has ever been given to men to follow 
is that set by Jesus Christ our Lord." 

Roland's eyes opened to their wid- 
est extent: ** Why, uncle Brian," he 
cried, breathlessly, ** He wasn't a 
Knight— was He ? " 

''Wasn't He? What made up a 
knight in olden times ? " 

" Well," said Roland, thoughtfully, 
*' they had to be good, and brave — 
and holy — like Galahad, and kind to 
everybody, little children, and poor 
damsels, and princesses — and they 
were gentle — at least the best of 
them were. Now was He all these 
things ? " 



Roland " Gentleheart,'' 2^ 

'' Our Lord Jesus was all that and 
more," answered Colonel Ledger- 
wood. '' He was good with the 
highest kind of goodness, He was 
perfectly fearless, and so brave that 
no fear of death or any consequences 
to Himself could ever make Him do 
wrong. He was holy — for He never 
sinned, though He had to meet and 
overcome the same temptations that 
come to us. His kindness and love 
were without limit — He blessed little 
children, He rescued all women from 
degradation and lifted them to a 
place of safety — you will understand 
this part better when you are older ; 
and He taught men to love one an- 
other, and be kind and gentle, not 
only to their friends but to their ene- 
mies. Isn't that being the truest 
kind of a knight ? " 

** Y-e-s," said Roland in the same 



26 Roland " Gentleheart,'' 

thoughtful tone ; " but, uncle Brian — 
the knio-hts were real fiofhters." 

'' So must you be now, dear lad, to 
be a loyal knig-ht. I pray that you 
may always have strength to fight and 
overcome the sins and temptations 
that come to everybody — little chil- 
dren as well as grown people. There 
are knights to-day, Roland, just as 
there were hundreds of years ago, 
only the enemies that they fight now 
are their sins. Your quick temper 
is your enemy, dear, and as a true 
knight of the Cross you must be ever 
on the alert to keep it under. Jesus 
has been a little Boy, He v/ill under- 
stand, and if you ask Him for help 
you will be able to come off victor." 

The idea was very strange to Ro- 
land at first, but the more he thought 
about it and talked it over with uncle 
Brian the better he liked the feeling 



Roland ' ' Gentleheart . " 2y 

that he, too, was a knight just as 
much as ever were those he loved to 
read about. He told Madeleine all 
about his talk with uncle Brian, and 
she was very much interested. '' I 
do wish Freddie 'd try to be a 
knight," she said. " He's got so 
wild and naughty since mamma has 
been ill and papa away travelling so 
much." 

'^ Yes," said Roland, with sympa> 
thy and a keen recollection of Fred- 
die's behavior in general. '* Do you 
suppose," he added, hesitatingly — 
he did so hate to share uncle Brian 
with Freddie — ''that he might be 
different if uncle Brian talked with 
him ? " 

'' Oh, I wish he would," cried 
Madeleine, eagerly. '' I know he's 
all the time talking of Colonel Ledg- 
erwood — since the day you all went 



28 Roland " Gentleheart,'' 

to Governor s Island, when the colo- 
nel wore his full uniform." 

" Yes, didn't he look splendid ! 
Don't you think he's handsome ? " a 
little anxiously. 

" Indeed, I do," answered Made- 
leine, warmly. 

** Of course, he's a little — that is — 
a good deal bald," went on Roland, 
touching upon what was still rather a 
tender point with him; *'but then, 
you know, that isn't really anything, 
you don't notice it when he's got his 
hat or cap on." 

'' Oh, that's nothing at all," said 
Madeleine, quickly. *' Why, my pa- 
pa's bald — more than your uncle is. 
He says — though he may mean it in 
fun — that all great men get bald 
early because they have to think so 
much and have so many responsibili- 
ties." 



Roland '' Gentleheart:' 2g 



'' Oh — I see/' Roland said, slowly. 
He was glad Madeleine had told him 
that, after that he wouldn't have had 
one hair more on uncle Brian's head. 
** I must go now," he said, presendy, 
rising — this interview had taken place 
on the stairs where he and Madeleine 
often sat to talk — '' and I'll see if I 
can ask uncle Brian to talk to Fred- 
die — perhaps he will. Good-by." 

'' I do hope he will," answered 
Madeleine. "Good-by," then she 
went in her apartments and Roland 
ran upstairs. 

Roland had a struggle with himself 
before he could make up his mind to 
tell uncle Brian about Freddie — the 
little boy did hate to share his splen- 
did much-loved uncle with Freddie. 
Freddie had such a lordly way about 
him, he might take entire posses- 
sion of uncle Brian. It was a hard 



50 Roland ' ' Gentleheart . ' ' 

struggle for a while ; then Roland 
remembered Whose knight he was, 
and what was a true knight's duty, 
and the result was that he went 
straight to his uncle ; told him the 
Avhole story and pleaded for him to 
love Freddie with an earnestness 
that made Colonel Ledgervvood very 
happy, for he knew just how much 
Freddie had, and still annoyed the 
little fellow. ** Good-night, * Gentle- 
heart/ " he whispered, when he 
kissed the little boy at bedtime ; and 
Roland wondered why his papa also 
bade him so tenderly '' God keep 
you, dear son." 

Uncle Brian went away not long 
after this, to his military post on the 
frontiers, but before he went he had 
a lonor walk and talk with Freddie, 
Roland having given up his right for 



Roland ' ' Gentleheart . " 3 / 

that once. No one ever heard what 
passed between them, but I am glad 
to tell you that since then Madeleine 
says he certainly is improving in his 
manners ; and Roland and he are 
better friends now. This winter 
both the boys have attended the 
same public school, and Roland is 
thrown more among boys than ever 
in his life before. He reads less and 
plays more these days, but he has 
by no means forgotten his talks with 
uncle Brian nor Whose knight he is. 
As proof of this I will let you read 
this paragraph which was in Mr. 
Ledgerwood's last letter to uncle 
Brian : 

'' Our boy is doing well at home 
and in school. He is trying very 
earnestly to overcome his quick tem- 
per, and to be brave and patient 



jj2 Roland ' ' Gentleheart . ' ' 

and gentle in all the details of his 
daily life. I think* he begins to 
deserve the name I have given him 
— your dear old surname, Brian, of 
' Gentleheart.' " 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




016 117 886 n 



Uentle=heart'' Stories 

SIX STORIES FOR BOYS AND GIRLS 
By BARBARA YECHTON 

the author of " Christine's Inspiration" 



Price, IOC. each; in packages of six, assorted, 
price, 50c. 



1. ROLAND "GENTLE-HEART" 

2. DOROTHY'S TEMPTATION 

3. BY FORGIVING WIN FORGIVENESS 

4. TEDDY'S EXPERIENCE 

5. HOPE BERESFORD'S LESSON 

6. •♦BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE" 

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